"The first company representative/owner that I interviewed gave me a quote very much in line with Patriot’s but stressed that there was no need to worry about permits and inspections."
Of the four companies that I interviewed, I decided to hire a local licensed general contractor known as Patriot Construction and Fencing Inc.
The first company representative/owner that I interviewed gave me a quote very much in line with Patriot’s but stressed that there was no need to worry about permits and inspections.
My response was “Next….”
The second company representative was adamant about building the deck over my existing concrete patio even though I objected. I told them that I wanted the patio removed but they refused to comply.
The third company representative/owner gave me an estimate that was approximately 45% higher than Patriots. Subsequently, they texted me back with a new estimate that was about thirty percent higher, same materials, square footage etc. When I mentioned that I considered their quote to be excessive, they countered with “Well, we are the best,” to which I responded, “I wish you the best.”
The fourth company representative/owner that I interviewed was Patriot Construction. I liked the fact that the contractor, Bryan, was the owner of an established family owned business that had excellent ratings.
Originally, Bryan agreed to build a deck with the dimensions: 10 ft by 18 ft.
The plans were submitted to the city and subsequently they were rejected.
At the time we didn’t know that my property was situated on a Conservation Easement. A new plan had to be devised limiting the dimensions to a structure that was 10 ft by14 ft. (This was based on the requirement that the deck had to be situated 2 ft away from a retaining wall).
I worked with Brian’s wife Shanell who redrew the plans and came up with a solution that in my opinion was aesthetically much more pleasing than the original box shape. The plans were resubmitted to the city for a second review and were accepted.
Attached are photos of the finished deck. Keep in mind that this is the unstained version. Patriot will return in six weeks to apply the stain after the wood has properly cured.
I could not be more pleased with the result!
I also want to add that the customer service was exceptional. Both Shanell and her husband responded to my questions and concerns in a timely manner. As I mentioned, this project took on some twists and turns due to city restrictions and at one point I didn’t think it was going to be built. There were many times when I became quite anxious especially during the review process and to her credit Shanell exercised a lot of patience with me….
Bottom line, Honesty & Integrity, coupled with salesmanship/pricing should be high on everyone's list and it is for this reason that I highly recommend this husband and wife team.